HomeMy WebLinkAboutSPCC Minutes 2003-06-30
SRCC Minutes (Special) 06/30/2003 Page 1
IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL, MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2003 AT 7:00 P.M.
Special Meeting: Present: Albert J. Boro, Mayor
San Rafael City Council Gary O. Phillips, Vice-Mayor
Paul M. Cohen, Councilmember
Barbara Heller, Councilmember
Cyr N. Miller, Councilmember
Absent: None
Also Present: Rod Gould, City Manager
Gary T. Ragghianti, City Attorney
Jeanne M. Leoncini, City Clerk
BUDGET HEARING:
1.
TWO-YEAR BUDGET GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR FISCAL YEARS 2003/2004 AND
2004/2005 (MS) – FILE 8-5
City Manager Rod Gould explained that the meeting had three components:
1) Council’s opportunity to hear from each of the department directors about their two-year
Goals and Objectives, i.e., the items staff believes could be accomplished given budget
decisions or inclinations to date. This refers to outputs, results and accomplishments and
each department head would provide a quick rundown of the highlights of what they
believed they could accomplish in the next two years as part of the two-year budget. He
indicated this would be Council’s opportunity to ask questions, comment and provide
further direction;
2) Questions or suggestions from the audience (the community) for budget adjustments,
would be entertained; and
3) Staff would return to approximately eleven different options discussed at various stages to
obtain further direction or provide answers to Council questions.
a) City Attorney:
Mr. Ragghianti reported that the City Attorney’s Office tasks continued to increase not only
in number but also in complexity. He pointed out that in the next year, and perhaps the
following year, General Plan 2020 would occupy most of his office’s time, being an
important and crucial exercise.
Mr. Ragghianti stated his office had a lot on its plate; they dealt with a lot of issues last year
and proposed to deal with a lot of items, as discussed with the City Manager. He reported
they had endeavored to give back some money, to the extent their budget permitted.
Mr. Ragghianti explained that the City Attorney’s Office is divided into Land Use, Code
Enforcement and the general tasks taken care of by the Assistant City Attorney on a day-to-
day basis. Noting Marilyn Pecunia, Legal Assistant, was present this evening, he publicly
commended and thanked her for her work, assuring the City Council that without her it would
be impossible for the attorneys to do their work.
Councilmember Phillips commented that the City Council relies very heavily on Mr.
Ragghianti and his office and he was deeply indebted to him for his advice and counsel,
specifically in Closed Sessions. He noted the advice, assistance and clarity of thought
Council receives from Mr. Ragghianti is outstanding and very much appreciated.
b) Library/Cultural Affairs:
Library Director Vaughn Stratford reported that staff had identified three departmental goals
for the coming two years:
1) Maintain essential core services of the library in the face of fiscal crisis;
2) Improve public access to all library databases and web site; and
3) Take steps towards the ultimate goal of an expanded and improved downtown library.
Mr. Stratford explained that this year the services of Group 4 Architects were engaged to
conduct a library feasibility study of expansion on site and perhaps, relocation of the library.
He expressed staff’s belief that the next step would be to hire a library building programming
consultant to advise on space requirements for a new or expanded building and determine
the appropriate adjacencies of the different functional areas that would be part of the
expanded library.
Mr. Stratford indicated these were the major projects for the coming year.
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Councilmember Heller inquired whether the non-profit foundation was moving towards being
set up. Gail Lockman, Head Reference Librarian, confirmed it was already set up.
Councilmember Heller inquired whether the County Library was beginning to work towards
the one-eighth cent sales tax with everyone in the County. Mr. Stratford stated they were
attempting to build a coalition that would support a one-eighth cent sales tax. He explained
that there was not much support for a one-eighth cent sales tax at the meeting of all City
Managers within Marin; however, the County and San Rafael’s City Manager and City
Administration were in favor of it.
City Manager Gould indicated there appeared to be a lack of real support in Southern Marin
and he believed the County Librarian had a tough task ahead working in cities such as
Sausalito, Mill Valley, Larkspur, etc. Responding to Councilmember Heller’s suggestion that
it would benefit them also, Mr. Gould indicated they had other priorities which came ahead of
the libraries.
Regarding Falkirk, Councilmember Cohen inquired as to the ongoing relationship with the
movement of Cultural Affairs to Community Services. He noted one of the Department
Objectives was the Falkirk Grounds Restoration Project and inquired whether responsibility
for the grounds would remain with the Library Department while programs move to
Community Services, or whether it was a lingering objective that it might move to Community
Services. Mr. Stratford confirmed the latter.
Councilmember Cohen expressed appreciation for the work done on the greenhouse to date.
Mr. Gould indicated that Jane Lange deserved the lion’s share of credit for that project.
With regard to the library operation, Mayor Boro thanked Mr. Stratford and his staff for doing
so much with so little.
Regarding the Objectives for 2003-2005, Councilmember Phillips stated he continued to
believe something could be done with Terra Linda High School, perhaps some joint usage,
inquiring whether this had been completely abandoned. Responding, Mr. Gould indicated
there had not been any discussion with San Rafael High School District for some time
concerning joint operations at Terra Linda High School. He indicated that when the idea was
broached with the Macerich Company as part of the renovation of the Mall to provide some
space for perhaps a branch library, staff was informed this could be something that might be
considered as part of a larger project. Should the County re-organize the Civic Center
Library, Mr. Gould suggested the City and County, with some space at Northgate, perhaps
could initiate something; however, there were a lot of “ifs.”
In response to Councilmember Phillips’ comment that it was highly unlikely, Mr. Gould stated
that given the budget circumstances, the City would be hard pressed to provide a reasonable
level of services at the Downtown Public Library at this time; therefore, it was highly unlikely
or dead.
City Manager Gould clarified for Mayor Boro that talks would continue with Macerich. Should
part of that renovation include some space for a public library and there was some way to
share resources with the County Library system, which was all tied into the one-eighth cent
sales tax, there could be a way to do something; however, he believed the primary focus for
the next few years was trying to keep the Downtown Library open as often as possible.
Mayor Boro indicated he did not disagree with this and suggested that perhaps when
meeting with the School Board in the next quarter, Terra Linda could be discussed. Mr.
Gould stated there were substantial regulations about running of a public library in a school
and he agreed the issue could be raised with the School Board. Mayor Boro stated that
while limping along with Macerich, a little breath of life had been given to Terra Linda.
Having spent some time last year familiarizing himself with County issues, Councilmember
Cohen stated one of the ongoing challenges is that the County Library system has a strong
base of support for their existing location in the Civic Center; therefore, he did not believe
that collaboration would be very fruitful in the next few years. With regard to the County,
Councilmember Phillips concurred.
Regarding Terra Linda High School, Councilmember Phillips noted the location was central
and had a significant population. The facility was there and some mutual agreement would
be beneficial, not only to the High School, but the community as a whole. He concurred with
Mayor Boro that perhaps the next step would be to ascertain whether there would be any
assistance from the school and should there be, movement could be made in that direction.
Councilmember Heller supported this, indicating there were many models of cities and
schools sharing libraries.
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c) Community Development:
Community Development Director Bob Brown stated that a General Plan would be adopted
next year, noting that three years of a public involvement phase of the project had been
completed. Work would now commence on the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to be
ready for hearings early in 2004.
Concerning the Third Floor Remodel, Mr. Brown stated it was planned to bring portions of the
Finance Department upstairs to improve customer service. He expressed appreciation for
the Council and City Manager’s direction to complete the remodeling with the grant funds
received and through departmental savings. He indicated that staff had begun some of the
demolition work over weekends and the project would be completed in the fall.
Mr. Brown reported that a concerted effort would be made to increase cost recovery in
planning, both through the new fee study and with better software and computer tracking to
monitor more closely the efforts of the planners and other staff members working on the
development process.
In the area of computer tracking, Mr. Brown stated staff would complete the last piece of
implementing the CRW software, to add Code Enforcement tracking.
Mr. Brown indicated that it was hoped to use the slower economy as an opportunity to
continue updating ordinances; therefore, Council would see new Telecommunications and
Sign Ordinances. Regulations would be brought forward for Senior Housing Developments
and some remaining issues concerning single-family design review would be dealt with.
Regarding the notification issue, Councilmember Cohen inquired whether this was included
in the reference “Initiate updates of the planning application procedures manual and
evaluation of public hearing notice requirements in 2003.” Mr. Brown confirmed it was and
this would be done in the fall. Councilmember Cohen commented that this was an issue
which needed to be worked on. Mr. Brown stated the crematorium study would be done and
immediately thereafter, the noticing evaluation would be conducted.
Councilmember Heller inquired as to the status of the Boat Sanitation Ordinance. Mr. Brown
stated it should be before the Planning Commission in August.
Tom Hinman, San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, stated their concern related to the costs
recovered for planning and other services. He was curious as to the timing of the Cost Study
approvals relative to the approval of the budget itself, indicating they would like to be
involved in trying to understand some of the background and incremental increases in the
fees, particularly in comparison to other like-sized cities. He indicated they were interested in
the approximate percent of increase and the time these increases were last taken.
Assistant City Manager Ken Nordhoff stated that a meeting was scheduled with San Rafael
Chamber of Commerce members on July 9 at their monthly economic committee meeting
where it was planned to identify all the fees and charges, particularly focusing on those that
affect the business community.
Councilmember Phillips indicated he was assuming that philosophically, the City was in
alignment, i.e., cost recovery is something the City wishes to happen and the study would
accomplish this, with implementation being the effective result. He inquired whether Mr.
Hinman was concerned with some of the details in the application or whether he had a
philosophical difference with the City’s approach.
Mr. Hinman stated they certainly realized that increased fees was one avenue of revenue
enhancement and they looked forward to meeting with Mr. Nordhoff; however, he noticed the
thth
meeting was scheduled for July 9 and the budget was being voted on on July 7. Mayor
Boro clarified that Council would only be voting on the budget for the coming year (2003-
th
2004) on July 7, whereas this issue related to the following year.
Mr. Gould clarified that the budget Council would consider on July 7, 2003 would not include
the fee and charge increases of interest to Mr. Hinman. This was the reason Mr. Nordhoff
th
and staff were meeting with the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce on July 9, as it was
intended to return the Business Cost Study to the City Council at the second meeting in July
or the first meeting in August. This would afford the Chamber plenty of time to review it and
the Federation and Coalition would have a sense of what was coming.
Mayor Boro believed Councilmember Phillips’ point was the philosophy of full cost recovery
and Council was assuming the Chamber understood and supported the concept. While they
understood the concept, Mr. Hinman indicated that some of their smaller members were
concerned about the impacts for them.
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Mayor Boro thanked Community Development Director Bob Brown and his staff for their
great efforts. Recognizing that the General Plan had gone beyond the beyond, he stated it
would be a good Plan.
d) Fire Department:
Fire Chief Robert Marcucci reported the Fire Department had six summary objectives, some
of which Council had probably learned about in the past:
Customer Satisfaction being very important, Fire Chief Marcucci indicated they had set a
pretty high satisfaction rating of 9.8 out of a possible 10 with the Commercial Inspection
program, the enforcement arm of the department, at 9.6 out of 10. He believed these
ratings could be obtained.
Chief Marcucci reported that San Rafael was the only Fire Department in Marin County not
having a full or part-time person to assist in managing the EMS program. He indicated that
the City is partnering with Corte Madera since they have the same medical director, in putting
together the money now used for contract purposes, to create an EMS Coordinator to assist
in managing both Departments’ EMS programs.
Reporting that construction of the new Fire Dispatch Center would soon commence, Chief
Marcucci indicated this should help accommodate the new MERA Radio System and the
conversion of the CAD and Record Management Systems from the BRC system.
Chief Marcucci expressed the desire to continue collaboration with community-based
organizations to expand the Fire Department’s role as a community resource rather than a
Fire Department and to meet with community members to ascertain their special needs and
interests, and provide these.
In the response mode, Fire Chief Marcucci stated total reflex time was discussed in the past,
i.e., from receipt of the 911 call until a fire engine arrives on the scene, and the Fire
Department’s objective was to be on the scene in 7 minutes in those areas having a high
potential for life loss, and 8 minutes for areas of moderate potential.
Finally, Fire Chief Marcucci stated that with the implementation of the 2x4 work week, criteria
needed to be selected for its evaluation, which was one of the objectives in approving the
2x4 work week.
Regarding the 2x4 work week, Councilmember Phillips inquired as to the process.
City Manager Gould stated staff was working with fire management on how it would be
supervised and the method of evaluation and monitoring to keep track of its effects on
service going through the one-year experiment authorized through the MOU (Memorandum
of Understanding). He stated it was hoped to have some more discussion with fire
management and the Fire Association, returning to Council with a presentation on how staff
would address all of these items well in advance of the January, 2004 implementation date.
Mr. Gould confirmed this was still on schedule for January, 2004.
Complimenting the Fire Department on doing a fantastic job, Councilmember Heller inquired
about the household hazardous waste program and whether it was running smoothly. Fire
Chief Marcucci reported that when the program was initiated, staff believed a plateau would
be reached where people would have gotten rid of all their household hazardous waste;
however, this was not the case; the program had grown and unfortunately, so had costs. He
indicated the program had been expanded recently to collect batteries from electronic
devices, which he stated was highly successful and people could deliver the batteries to fire
stations.
Fire Chief Marcucci indicated that very shortly Marin Sanitary Service would present plans to
the County JPA on expanding that facility, as according to new legislation, it would be
necessary to take care of computers, monitors, radios, fluorescent tubes, etc.; therefore, the
program was continuous. He indicated that Brad Mark, Deputy Fire Marshal and Keith
Schoenthal, Fire Marshal, were doing a marvelous job in keeping the program going and
keeping the costs down to the degree possible; however, the program was growing.
Councilmember Miller inquired as to the progress being made and the future of the
integration of Community Fire Servicing into the Engine Companies. Secondly, he inquired
as to the progress in terms of organizing the DART group in the neighborhoods with the
Police Academy members, to ensure a volunteer grouping to take care of those 72 hours in
the event of a disaster.
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Regarding Community Fire Servicing, Fire Chief Marcucci expressed his belief that this was
where the Fire Service needed to go to ensure success in the future. Indicating it must be
driven down to the Company level, he believed it was a transitional process; the Fire
Department was doing a great job with many Captains taking on the responsibility of working
with the community and understanding the benefits of it. Chief Marcucci believed more
needed to be done in that area and it was a process of meeting with the community,
ascertaining their needs and providing those needs. As stated many times in public
presentations, Fire Chief Marcucci reiterated the Fire Service was very good at imparting
information; however, was not very good at listening to people’s needs and trying to provide
those needs, or the nexus to those organizations who could. He indicated this was his
reason for the term “Community Resource”. Noting more activity with Captains working with
people, specifically in the Canal area, he indicated that some areas proved more difficult
because of the configuration of the district; however, overall, he saw an attempt at getting
involved in the community and understanding the benefits.
With regard to DART, Fire Chief Marcucci stated this was similar to Hazardous Waste in that
it keeps growing. He reported having worked with Lieutenant Jim Kelly and Police Chief
Michael Cronin in bringing together the Police Academy and DART members into a cohesive
force. While it was working, Chief Marcucci believed more work was necessary in that area.
With DART members understanding the rescue portion and the Police Academy members
understanding the police end, Chief Marcucci stated it was possible to work hand in hand in
the community to provide the type of service necessary in a disastrous situation.
Tom Hinman, San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, stated this followed on their concern
regarding fees. Mayor Boro indicated this was a separate item which would be taken up later
in the agenda.
Referring to an issue which arose at the recent General Plan Steering Committee meeting
regarding dry grass growing out of control and constituting a fire hazard, Councilmember
Cohen inquired whether the Fire Department still had a program to follow up on reports,
contact property owners, and if necessary, deal with the situation directly. Responding
affirmatively, Fire Chief Marcucci indicated this was being aggressively done now with the
assistance of the Marin County Open Space District who sent a letter to anyone contiguous
to open space, requesting them to call their local Fire Department. He reported that the
Department had been inundated with calls and unfortunately, the City was the owner of many
of the lands complained of. He stated that with limited funds, what could be done is being
done and the City encouraged grass cutting by anyone wishing to do so.
Councilmember Cohen clarified that the question pertained particularly to residential
properties and while the discussion was whether this should be in the safety section of the
General Plan, the belief was that a program already existed to do this in the Fire Department.
Fire Chief Marcucci stated that people needed to call the Fire Department and an Engine
Company would be dispatched to evaluate the situation, make recommendations to the
property owner and attempt to have it cleaned up. He noted that in many cases it is a
neighborhood conflict that calls for mediation from the Fire Department.
Councilmember Cohen requested a short description of total reflex time as a measure of
response time. Fire Chief Marcucci explained that from the time a call comes in on 911, the
Dispatcher has one minute to process and get it to the Engine Companies, who have two
minutes to exit the station and respond within four to five minutes, giving a total reflex time of
7 or 8 minutes.
Mayor Boro thanked Fire Chief Marcucci for all he had done for the Fire Department,
congratulating the Department for three fine efforts this past week, which demonstrated how
well trained and responsive they are in serving the community.
e) Community Services:
Community Services Director Carlene McCart indicated she would synthesize the
Community Services Department’s Goals and Objectives in four major categories:
1) Concentrate on market audits for trends, fees, programs, procedures, etc., to ensure
current needs and interests were being met.
2) Integration of the Falkirk Facility Management and Cultural Services into the
Community Services Department. A capital campaign strategy would be identified
seeking a long-range approach to meeting the needs for the facility itself. Some short
term grant funding would be sought and the systems of facility management,
marketing and maintenance would be merged. Cultural Affairs Supervisor Jane Lange
would also be assisted in her cooperative programming approach, which was very
similar to what had been done at Pickleweed with collaboratives producing programs
instead of the department.
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3) Integration of software capacity for online services as the ability to register for
programs, camps, etc., online has resulted in up to a 30% increase in volume as
people desire the immediacy and commitment of knowing they are registered. This
would take place in the next two years.
4) Pickleweed expansion - It is anticipated being before Council by December with
reports of success on the fundraising campaign and providing options for the scope of
the work to be incorporated into the project. In the meantime, staff would organize the
transition, together with seeking public input on policies and procedures for use of the
new facilities.
Councilmember Miller complimented Community Services Director Carlene McCart and her
staff, noting the remarkable change and growth that had come about because of community
involvement. He indicated that the whole concept of providing the facility to enable a
collaborative of service providers meeting the interests and needs of the community to put on
programs was extraordinary. He also noted the extraordinary efforts of this summer’s Kid’s
Club, with 85 children, 22 volunteers from six different high schools, run collaboratively by
CYO, YMCA, the Conservation Corps and the City, which epitomized the way a Community
Services Department should be operating.
Ms. McCart confirmed for Councilmember Heller that enrollments are currently received by
telephone, fax and walk-ins; however, online registration is desired.
Councilmember Heller requested an update on the skatepark, noting the Community
Services Department would be turning into a complete fundraising department, a task they
do well. Ms. McCart indicated they were lucky in that they had some avenues to pursue.
She reported that the skatepark contract was awarded last week, and it was expected to
break ground within the next three weeks, with completion and opening anticipated for
November, 2003. Councilmember Heller noted it would be state of the art.
Councilmember Phillips requested some elaboration on the objective to Increase Marketing
for Park Facilities. Ms. McCart explained there were a lot of inquiries from visitors, etc.,
concerning the park system and it was necessary to generate better marketing information to
identify the locations and amenities of each park. She believed her department could do
better in marketing the group picnic areas that are rented on the weekends, to assure people
they have a spot for a family gathering, etc. Staff favored getting the word out with signage
and marketing materials, part of which would be information on the website.
Regarding the Terra Linda Pool and its usage, Councilmember Phillips inquired whether the
marketing program was aimed at promoting City facilities “hither and yon,” or geared to a
more local surrounding. Ms. McCart indicated it was more local. As an example she
explained that a large volume of calls are received for use of Gerstle Park; however, there
are other picnic areas people are not aware of. She indicated that staff spends quite some
time on the telephone educating people on the availability of other parks and believed it
would be advantageous for the community to have a better understanding of the location and
amenities of these facilities.
Councilmember Phillips suspected most park use on a reservation basis was local and his
concern related to capacity. Noting the Terra Linda Pool non-resident fee was greater than
that for residents, he inquired whether different fees applied to park rental. Responding, Ms.
McCart reported that the Pool is the only facility managed by the City that has a differential
fee. Councilmember Phillips questioned whether this was something that should be
evaluated. In the event capacity was reached and it was felt the community was not being
served, Ms. McCart stated it should be looked at; however, this was not the current
experience.
Councilmember Cohen commended Community Services Director Carlene McCart for setting
the implementation of online registration as an objective, as this had become the expectation
and would work to the Department’s benefit.
Councilmember Cohen requested that Ms. McCart expand on the objective to identify
Funding for the Community Garden. Ms. McCart reported that historically, they had relied on
fees for the Community Garden supporting the facility, which for the most part pay for water;
however, the infrastructure is old, the irrigation systems and pathways need to be replaced, a
major overhaul of the soil is necessary, and these are beyond the department’s capabilities
at this time. She indicated staff was looking into Department of Agriculture programs and
some University of California programs that support Community Garden efforts.
Regarding Childcare and Youth Services, Councilmember Cohen commended Ms. McCart
and her staff for allowing the City to continue to be a role model and leader in the North Bay,
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and he was proud to be associated with that, although no longer a user of the services. He
invited Ms. McCart to discuss the proposal to negotiate the agreement with the Sun Valley
PTA, inquiring as to what currently was anticipated when the Sun Valley School comes back
on line.
Ms. McCart explained that when they moved off campus to accommodate their construction
projects, the City negotiated to provide their after-school programming. To an extent, the
PTA was able to house some of it on the Davidson campus or at the Short School campus;
however, many of the programs they wished to continue with they were unable to house, and
these were conducted at the Community Center. Transportation was arranged from the two
satellite facilities to the Community Center, together with escorting children from the
Childcare Center so that their programming could have some continuity. On going back into
their new facility Ms. McCart indicated they wanted to reopen discussions concerning
childcare on site, which would be difficult. She was unsure whether they were in a position to
provide the after-school programming they had two years ago. Staff would discuss with them
how programming could be brought onto campus, what they needed to serve this and
whether they wished the Community Center to continue to be a source of after-school
programming for them.
With regard to childcare on site, Councilmember Cohen inquired whether this was a pre-
school age program. Ms. McCart indicated these discussions had not yet taken place. She
believed they would have their hands full transitioning back onto campus this year; however,
it was a conversation they would like to have. Whether keeping some of their children on
campus in the after-school hours would take the shape of an actual Childcare program or
whether it was more of an enrichment program would have to be determined; however, from
the City’s point of view, staff would like to keep most of the childcare services at Parkside.
Councilmember Cohen indicated there had been some discussion in the neighborhoods and
speculation about what might happen had been interpreted as something that would happen,
commencing in the fall. Ms. McCart indicated that no commitments had been made, nor had
staff engaged in any serious conversation on the issue.
Noting there were onsite facilities at three elementary campuses in Terra Linda operated by
the City, Mayor Boro stated that as the San Rafael schools were being rebuilt downtown,
perhaps onsite facilities should also be achieved with these, if possible, as Parkside was for
younger, not necessarily school-age children. Ms. McCart clarified that there is a school-age
program at Parkside drawing from Sun Valley, Laurel Dell and a small percentage of
students from Coleman. She indicated the ideal was to have a Center on school sites so the
children could remain in the neighborhood; however, in the case of the Sun Valley campus, it
physically did not accommodate the space needed for a dedicated center, and Sun Valley
typically, would have 90 to 100 children enrolled in the Childcare services at Parkside.
Mayor Boro suggested that if the program were of value to the parents and the School
District, it would appear they would want to plan for childcare as much as they plan for their
entire school. He indicated he was impressed at the time the Dixie School District took it
upon themselves to work with the City and accommodate childcare onsite. Ms. McCart
indicated this was happening at Coleman, which was being demolished this year, noting
plans for a Childcare Center were included in their rebuilding.
Stating that the Community Services Department does many things, all well, Mayor Boro
commended Ms. McCart for the Bocce effort, noting how it continues to grow, which was a
good example of public/private partnership, together with the Gardens. Now that Falkirk
would become part of Community Services, Mayor Boro inquired whether during this year,
staff would return to Council to address the issue of the Cultural Affairs Commission’s role at
Falkirk, whether it would tie into the Park and Recreation Commission or be separate. Ms.
McCart stated she assumed these discussions would take place probably midyear.
Mayor Boro thanked Community Services Director Carlene McCart.
f) Police Department:
Police Chief Michael Cronin indicated that the material for this evening’s meeting contained
several programs where the Performance Objectives’ actual figures were not included, which
was not an attempt to maintain flexibility, rather an oversight. He furnished amended copies
to the City Clerk for distribution to the City Council.
Chief Cronin reported that the Police Department would continue to work on reducing the
crime rate and maintaining response time with the current staffing level, together with
maintaining the level of service in the customer satisfaction surveys. In addition, he stated
they expected to continue to focus on public disorder, gang suppression and the
investigation of violent crime. It was also anticipated to increase traffic enforcement, which
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continues to be an area of concern for citizens, together with the investigation of juvenile
crime.
Administratively, Police Chief Cronin stated he believed they would be able to maintain
current staffing levels and continue the success in the field training and retention. He
believed they could reduce overtime, which was cut in half in the last six months of the
current fiscal year, compared to the first six months. Chief Cronin stated staff was pursuing a
number of grants, including one they believe would fund the volunteer program, as well as a
grant that would underwrite approximately 50% of the Department’s training costs for the
next year.
Chief Cronin reported that the new Records Management System was being installed and is
very nearly complete; they look forward to MERA (Marin Emergency Radio Authority) and
lastly, the Police Department is preparing to make a number of promotions, which he
believed would further solidify the Department’s commitment to Community Policing and the
type of service the City Council would like to see provided.
Councilmember Phillips inquired whether the economy was an indicator of certain types of
crime and whether the Police Department adjusts for it. Police Chief Cronin stated that not
only is the economy an indicator but crime rates are very clearly tied to local economic
conditions, and as the economy slides, certain types of crime, particularly property crime,
tends to rise, as does domestic violence, with people under increased stress. How this was
correlated, as with seasonal changes and rates, was something he had not seen done.
Councilmember Phillips inquired whether this was something to be considered in the future.
Police Chief Cronin indicated the Police Department was aware that certain behaviors occur
when the economy gets bad which is the reason the focus was shifted last year to gang
suppression. He stated that the issue of public disorder is a clear reflection of economic
times and the Police Department had invested a lot more effort in this area last year than in
the past, which was perhaps the reason Part II Crime (minor crime) declined, rather than rise
in this type of situation, which is typical.
Councilmember Phillips complimented Police Chief Cronin and his staff on the job they do.
Councilmember Heller requested a brief update on MERA.
City Manager Rod Gould explained that the Marin Emergency Radio Authority had made the
decision to light up the Central and Northern Marin sections of the infrastructure this fall. San
Rafael would be first; therefore, San Rafael Public Works, Police and Fire would be the first
agencies on the new MERA system. He indicated that all the antennas that ring San Rafael
are up and operational, the equipment needed had been ordered, with training commencing
in late summer, early fall. Mr. Gould confirmed for Councilmember Heller that the new Fire
Dispatch Center hopefully would be ready by then. He indicated that the Police Radio
System was the key and as soon as they get onto MERA, a major risk will have been
avoided, with Fire following. Councilmember Heller stated it was essential this is up and
running soon.
Councilmember Heller expressed appreciation for staff being very good about bringing this
along, as she believed it could have faltered and fallen apart at any time.
Mayor Boro thanked Police Chief Michael Cronin and his entire Department for the great job
they had done, noting from the survey results how 95% of citizens felt safe in San Rafael,
which was a very good indicator.
g) Public Works:
Interim Public Works Director Andrew Preston reported that Public Works does a great job of
maintaining San Rafael through management, design, construction inspection and
maintenance of existing and planned infrastructure in a cost-effective and responsive
manner.
Mr. Preston identified Public Works’ twelve major programs:
1) Engineering Division;
2) Storm Water Maintenance and Capital;
3) Traffic Operations;
4) Traffic Impact Analysis and Grants;
5) Park Maintenance;
6) Street Maintenance;
7) Street Cleaning and Painting;
8) Garage;
9) Facility Repair;
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10) Some items of the Parking District Facilities;
11) San Quentin; and
12) Loch Lomond and Baypoint Lagoons.
He indicated that each of these programs had its own set of Goals and Objectives, between
eight and ten each, making a total of 90 – 100.
Mr. Preston summarized some of these Goals and Objectives as follows:
Manage the construction of the Third Street Parking Structure, already started;
Public Works would assume responsibility for all City Emergency Preparedness
operations, including the EOC and also USAR (Urban Search and Rescue);
Completing the Francisco Boulevard East Underground District, a partnering project
with CALTRANS, who would take the lead. The City would do the design with
CALTRANS doing the construction;
Collaborate with CALTRANS on the design of the Freeway HOV lane through San
Rafael. Mr. Preston reported having met with CALTRANS recently concerning the
I-580 flyover. He believed they had accepted Council’s recommendations on that;
Traffic Engineer Nader Mansourian would continue to monitor and calculate the
remaining capacity in San Rafael which would benefit the economic and residential
development with the City and also continue to work on the General Plan, especially
the circulation element;
With considerable success in the past in obtaining grant funds, both federal and state,
staff would continue this with all projects needing funding or are under-funded;
Initiate a Storm Drain Assessment Program mainly concentrating on the ten miles of
corrugated metal pipe in the City and eight miles of unknown pipe, to evaluate and
assess their condition and prioritize their replacement. Mr. Preston stated that a
typical example was Eucalyptus Lane where Council approved the design to proceed
with 800 feet of CMP which had completely rotted out. He indicated staff needed to
get a handle on this program and evaluate what is out there.
Regarding the Parking District Facilities report, Councilmember Cohen, noting the shared
responsibility comment and recalling discussions regarding creating an enterprise fund with
the Parking District, inquired as to whether these costs were being factored in. Assistant
City Manager Ken Nordhoff explained that staff time in the Parks Division was allocated to
graffiti, lot cleanup, grounds maintenance, etc., which were part of parking operations costs.
Such costs are recovered through the various fees and fines to run the parking operation.
Regarding infrastructure maintenance, Mr. Nordhoff explained that everything that could be
legitimately identified as an expense to the parking operation is put in the budget as part of
the cost of parking. Although this may include individuals who are supervised directly by the
Public Works staff, the costs are borne by Parking.
Mr. Preston explained that pothole patching, striping, etc., in a parking lot, is reimbursed by
the Parking District.
Councilmember Cohen inquired as to the status of Santa Margarita Ditch, now that the
neighborhood had met its goal and the matching funds allocated by the City. Mr. Preston
reported that the design engineers would provide the civil plans in three weeks; they plan on
going through the Homeowners’ Association on the landscape design and he proposed to
have the entire project out to bid within six weeks. Responding to Councilmember Cohen’s
question, Mr. Preston indicated he proposed to put this out as one bid package.
Responding to Councilmember Cohen’s question on maintenance, City Manager Gould
stated a limit (dollar amount) had been set on the amount of maintenance that would be
carried out and this would not be exceeded. Reporting there is a maintenance crew for
medians, Mr. Preston indicated that initially, the maintenance of the Ditch would be included
as part of the maintenance program.
Councilmember Phillips commented that Mayor Boro and he sit on a couple of committees
that Mr. Preston addresses as Public Works objectives for 2003-2005, i.e., the parking
structure and CALTRANS I-580, etc., which are significant projects. He expressed
appreciation for the significant effort that had gone into them and thanked Interim Public
Works Director Andy Preston.
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Mayor Boro thanked Andy Preston for the great job to date, noting the Department was
functioning well. He expressed appreciation, especially for the work done with CALTRANS
recently.
h) Management Services:
Assistant City Manager Ken Nordhoff reported that Finance, Human Resources, Risk
Management and Information Technology support the operating departments of the City and
functions such as the Business License process and Parking Services serve the community
as a whole.
Explaining the major objectives, Mr. Nordhoff stated that under national standards, the City is
required to change its financial reports. A significant conversion needs to be made
concerning identifying the value of assets, start depreciating and make a number of other
changes. He indicated that the valuation piece is complete; however, the end of fiscal year
statements have to be converted. This will require an extensive amount of work and some
Councilmember time for familiarization with how the formats have changed.
Mr. Nordhoff stated that when construction of the Parking facility is complete, Parking
Services will commence its operation; therefore, Chad Lynn, Parking Services Manager, and
his staff would be responsible for ensuring all the new technology is installed and
determining how to make the best use of that facility between monthly parkers, serving retail
needs and a variety of combinations.
Mr. Nordhoff indicated it had become apparent that a better job needed to be done in the
Information Technology area of having a critical technology or disaster recovery plan;
therefore, the Information Services Group wanted to be fully prepared and have the
organization engaged, in the event of a situation where critical data and information could not
be accessed, to have offsite means.
Regarding an adopted and balanced budget, Mr. Nordhoff stated it was planned to present
the 2003-2004 budget on July 7, 2003; however, as discussed many times, this could be
revisited and the present situation could prevail for at least another twelve or eighteen
months.
In the Human Resources area, Mr. Nordhoff stated the SEIU contract with Childcare lapses
in October, 2003 and needs to be renegotiated.
Mr. Nordhoff noted Council had instructed staff to present some of the criteria and evaluation
instruments that would be utilized to implement the 2 x 4 work schedule for the Fire
Department.
Mr. Nordhoff indicated that he and staff were available to answer questions.
Regarding the Citywide Disaster Recovery Program for technology, Councilmember Heller
requested further explanation.
Mr. Nordhoff explained that all of the City’s databases are downstairs in the Police
Department or in the Information Services office, and should City Hall be damaged in a fire or
earthquake inhibiting access to that information, staff wanted to develop an offsite solution to
access that information at a different location, thereby, continuing to provide service.
Councilmember Heller inquired as to the availability of another facility. Mr. Nordhoff stated
staff was in the process of studying what other cities have been doing. He noted a number
had put cooperative agreements in place, perhaps with another municipality in the
Sacramento or other region somewhat nearby. He stated staff anticipated having something
done within the next six months.
Mayor Boro inquired whether any data was currently stored remotely. Mr. Nordhoff
explained that all the data is taken offsite. Weekly backups and monthly full system backups
are done and while the data is offsite, the programming element is not in place.
Responding to Councilmember Cohen’s question on backup timing, Mr. Nordhoff explained
these were incremental, i.e., daily, weekly or nightly, depending on the frequency of
information and different departments were queued up for different cycles, depending on how
critical the information was. Councilmember Cohen commended Mr. Nordhoff for his efforts
to find a solution to this.
Commenting that he was online today looking at the Community Development Department
website on the General Plan Update, Councilmember Cohen stated this was a good example
of how to do it right, and he commended both departments who worked on it. He indicated it
was important that this information be made available to the public and with a fairly computer
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literate constituency in the community, he believed it to be a very effective way of getting a
large volume of information out and accessible.
Mayor Boro thanked Mr. Nordhoff for his department’s work and particularly, his efforts
personally with the budget and labor relations. He indicated that at some point he would like
to discuss the issue of exiting from the garage on Farmers’ Market night. Mr. Nordhoff
explained new software would be available from July 23, 2003 that would allow for some
different exiting in the current garage.
i) City Manager:
Mr. Gould stated that the opposite of the endless summer is the endless budgeting, which
unfortunately, was what he foresaw in the next two years. His department would also
support the Community Development Department with finishing up the General Plan and
getting a state approved Housing Element. Mr. Gould indicated that existing and new
Economic Development projects would be pushed and his department would continue to
support Mayor Boro for the ever-elusive Multimodal Regional Transportation solutions. Staff
would seek Council’s guidance on what to do with the studies on the seismic and
modernization needs of public safety facilities and the inadequate public library; these
studies would be presented to Council in September pursuant to this round of budgeting. Mr.
Gould stated his department would support the big projects in Public Works and Community
Services, both existing and those it is hoped to complete in the next two years.
Councilmember Cohen noted the City Manager’s Department’s goal of managing the
operations of the City with economy, efficiency, equity and effectiveness (the four Es).
Councilmember Phillips inquired as to the status of the Cineplex. Mr. Gould stated that
Century Theatres are still interested in building a cineplex in the downtown that would be
state of the art. He indicated the proposed location is problematic from a traffic standpoint;
however, as Marriott International signaled it is no longer interested in developing a hotel on
the PG&E site on Third Street, staff believed this would be an ideal location for the cineplex.
Mr. Gould reported that PG&E is currently conducting a study to determine the value of the
site and as soon as that is known, this information would be transmitted to the Syufy family to
ascertain whether they favored building there. He stated this would benefit the downtown
greatly as efforts continue to seek a hotel downtown, perhaps at another location.
On that location, Councilmember Heller inquired whether the City was still considering
assisting St. Vincent’s in moving over there. Mr. Gould responded affirmatively, explaining
that St. Vincent’s are very interested in moving to that corner of Brooks and Third Street and
it would coexist very well with the cineplex as they operate completely different hours.
Mayor Boro thanked and congratulated Mr. Gould, indicating that because of him things run
so well in the City. He also thanked Lydia Romero, Assistant to the City Manager.
Councilmember Phillips concurred.
j) City Clerk:
Noting that Goal G7 in her Departmental Objectives meant Organizational Excellence, City
Clerk Jeanne Leoncini stated this was due to her staff, Nancy Hann and Esther Beirne. She
reported that Bill Jacobson, I.S. Consultant, indicated her office’s work online with staff
reports, minutes, agendas, etc., was seamless and he considered it to be the best in the
County.
Concerning online use, Ms. Leoncini reported that in June, 2002, there were 478 visits to the
City Clerk’s Department website, with 3,163 pages. For June 2003, there were 1,629 visits
with 6,458 pages and she believed the public really enjoyed this service.
Ms. Leoncini reported that today for the first time, the City Clerk’s Department posted the
Notice of Election, Filing Schedule and the City Attorney’s Political Sign information for the
upcoming election, at www.cityofsanrafael.org - Announcements.
Regarding accomplishments, Ms. Leoncini reported that the recently acquired all in one
formatter was being used to copy tapes for both the City Clerk and Community Development
Departments.
Mayor Boro thanked City Clerk Jeanne Leoncini and her staff for their work
Mayor Boro indicated he would like to get a collective sense as to how as a City, grants are being
overseen. He stated the City had been very successful with grants and was aware of a lot of
grant opportunities and heading into the “doom and gloom” times on the budget, he believed it
would be beneficial to maximize that. Mayor Boro stated he would be interested in seeing some
type of matrix of who is responsible for what.
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Regarding the website, Mayor Boro inquired whether there was some consistency or standard
used by the City in creating sites, etc. Assistant City Manager Ken Nordhoff stated that while
there are standards, most of the content is done on a departmental level. The IS Department had
been focusing on the Technology Plan for the last five years getting all the major applications
upgraded. He stated that the entire web administration would be focused on in the next two-year
cycle, noting that Assistant Director Information Services, Eusebio Joves, had met with Lydia
Romero and other staff on an in-house sub-committee level to evaluate the pages, content,
presentation for consistency, accuracy, timeliness, etc. While the intention is to put that in place,
Mr. Norhoff was not aware of the details as yet.
Regarding grants, Councilmember Heller reported that the League of California Cities was
beginning to publish online lists of grants they are aware of and she believed Ms. Romero was
monitoring this.
BUDGET REQUESTS FROM THE COMMUNITY:
2.
None.
DISCUSSION OF BUDGET BALANCING OPTIONS:
3.
Mayor Boro indicated that some of these items had been discussed in the past, and some would
be discussed for the first time this evening. Should there be agreement on any of the items, City
Manager Gould would be happy to close the issue; however, if not, they would remain open until
eventual closure was attained.
1) City Hall at the Mall
Mr. Gould referred to a memo from Cory Bytof, Volunteer Program Coordinator, that
attempted to answer the questions posed by Council concerning the operation of City Hall at
the Mall and whether or not there were ways to maintain a presence at the Northgate Mall,
and he invited questions.
Councilmember Heller indicated that it was a very comprehensive report. Noting the number
of visitors, she inquired whether this was a lot of people relative to those visiting the Mall.
She also inquired as to when the Mall manager would return and be in a position to answer a
lot of these questions.
City Manager Rod Gould reported that Jennifer Cicone, Manager, Northgate Mall, was on
maternity leave and he was unaware of her return date. He indicated he had spoken with the
Assistant Manager whose responses were reflected in Cory Bytof’s memo. Mr. Gould stated
he believed that on Ms. Cicione’s return, she would echo the sentiments expressed in the
memo, which were to the effect that the Mall would like to see City Hall at the Mall remain.
Questioning whether the Mall was in a position to underwrite it, Mr. Gould stated it could
perhaps adjust the hours somewhat if it did not envision another use for the space to offset
the cost. He indicated the City would be willing to take some of the displays and locate them
elsewhere in the Mall to maintain a presence at Northgate; however, he questioned the
Mall’s ability or willingness to put money into the operation at this time.
Mayor Boro noted Mr. Bytof’s comments regarding additional use of volunteers, and the
Concierge desk at City Hall and some of the problems encountered staffing that desk. Not
having discussed this with Cory, Mayor Boro reported getting feedback from one of the
volunteers who indicated she was quite happy while at City Hall; however, was also looking
for something with a little more to do. He indicated he would be interested in ascertaining
from Mr. Bytof whether there would be a better chance of staffing City Hall at the Mall
because of its nature. Mayor Boro realized it would be a hardship if volunteers did not show
up; however, he did not believe the parallel to the Concierge Desk was a good one as the
jobs were quite different.
Mr. Gould believed the point Mr. Bytof was making was that unlike the Concierge’s position,
in the event a volunteer did not show up, Mr. Bytof had to personally man City Hall at the
Mall in order to make good on the commitment to operate certain hours. He indicated the
City had experimented over time with volunteers and had not had the desired success. He
believed there was not sufficient work for the paid staff to augment it with volunteers.
Regarding the timing on City Hall at the Mall, Mr. Gould explained it was anticipated the
State would act at some point this summer or early fall which would have an effect on the
2003-04 City budget. He stated staff recommends adopting a budget on July 7, 2003 that
reflects what is known at this time and suggested this was an item Council might wish to
consider sooner rather than later because of the high likelihood the state would shift
revenues and take expected sources of income in this current budget year (2003-2004).
With that eventuality in mind, Mr. Gould stated staff believed this was something Council
could act on now, and it would be warranted.
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Mayor Boro confirmed this could be on the list for that eventuality when it occurred, or the
second budget year, and exploration could be continued in the interim. Councilmember
Heller concurred.
Councilmember Cohen indicated he was not in a rush to do this and although a service level
issue, he believed it was not a fundamental service. He anticipated the point would quickly
be reached where a hard look would have to be taken at whether or not the City could afford
to continue to do this in the present environment. In reading the memo, he questioned
whether Macerich would be willing to take a fresh look at the issue of operating hours.
Elaborating, he stated that perhaps it could basically be a store front for information
presentation for passersby, open on a very limited basis with minimum staffing levels and
conceivably, expanding it with volunteers. He indicated this would require some flexibility on
the part of Macerich.
Mr. Gould indicated he had inquired along similar lines and was informed by the Assistant
Manager that they already had given the City the most limited hours of any store at
Northgate. While they might be willing to reduce it a little more, their basic thrust was that if
they were giving the City space at Northgate, the premises was required to be open the great
majority of the hours the other stores were open, otherwise they needed to lease the store.
Mr. Gould stated the Assistant Manager’s compromise was that should the City wish to have
a static display at some other location in the Mall to advertise City services, programs and
projects, they would be happy to accommodate this.
Councilmember Cohen stated the choice was either revisiting this arrangement or closing,
indicating Macerich may believe it necessary for their business to either have City Hall at the
Mall open, or a different entity operating the store. He questioned the financial impact and
workability of some level of service, suggesting that if it were not viable for the City, he did
not see any point in pursuing it with Northgate. If it were possible to keep the door open to
future expansion of service, perhaps Macerich could be invited to reconsider.
Mr. Gould stated it would be possible to staff at a lower level and be open far less often;
however, the limited public service at that location would plummet because it would be
closed more often than open, resulting in the public not expecting anything at City Hall at the
Mall.
Councilmember Phillips inquired whether attention could be focused on the hours of most
attendance. He was also curious as to Macerich’s concern regarding City Hall at the Mall’s
hours of operation.
From discussions with Mall managers in the past, Mayor Boro reported they work uniformly
expecting an operational storefront for specified hours per day and week and City Hall at the
Mall was included in this. In pursuing the issue, Mayor Boro noted Northgate had seasonal
activity and perhaps this could be included in discussions.
Councilmember Phillips was not sure whether the City should be locked into the same
number of hours as other stores. Mayor Boro stated that perhaps Mr. Gould could persuade
the management.
2) Library Closure Day:
Mr. Gould reported that at two previous Study Sessions, Council had reluctantly indicated it
would be willing to consider closing the library one day per week to assist with the current
and future library problems. As could be seen from a memo prepared by Library Director
Vaughn Stratford, he indicated that both staff and the Library Board believed it would be
more effective to consider closing Mondays rather than Fridays.
Mr. Gould confirmed for Mayor Boro that this was included in this year’s budget.
Councilmember Heller recalled that on the previous occasion when the library was closed on
Monday, the comment was made that this was the busiest day of the week, and she
questioned why such a day was chosen.
Gail Lockman, Library Manager, explained that the busy times push forward into the next
day; therefore, library usage was not being lost. She indicated that when the decision was
made on the previous occasion to close on Monday, it was done as a convenience to Marin
residents and those who use County libraries to distribute patronage, because some libraries
were closed on Fridays. Understanding this, Councilmember Heller stated she raised the
question because it was difficult for her to support closing the library on its busiest day.
Mr. Stratford stated that in looking at the statistics, there was not much difference in that by
closing on Monday, Tuesday would become the busiest day of the week. He indicated that
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one of the arguments for not closing on Friday was that all the County Libraries, with the
exception of the Civic Center Library, were closed on Fridays.
Councilmember Heller inquired whether Library Directors throughout the County had
discussed a schedule. Mr. Stratford indicated he had had a lot of negative feedback on a
Friday closure and being a consortium, they depended on each other and wanted to be good
neighbors.
Councilmember Phillips inquired as to why so many libraries were closed on Friday instead
of Monday. Ms. Lockman indicated she was unaware of the reasoning behind this and
confirmed it was only County libraries, with the exception of the Civic Center, that were
closed on Friday. She noted that Mill Valley, Sausalito, Tiburon, etc., were all open on
Friday, with Novato, West Marin, Corte Madera and Fairfax closed.
Noting that San Anselmo had expressed genuine concern, Councilmember Cohen inquired
whether this was true regardless of the day of closure or whether it was specific to Friday.
Mr. Stratford indicated it was specific to Friday.
Operationally, Councilmember Cohen wondered how it affected scheduling, staff time, etc. In
evaluating borrowing activity, i.e., borrowers per hour, he indicated that Thursdays appeared
to consistently have the lowest usage. He questioned whether staff had considered this.
Ms. Lockman stated Thursday was an odd day to be closed. She indicated that having been
closed on Monday previously, the hope was that people would retain that memory.
Councilmember Heller inquired whether a Thursday closing would impact on staffing
schedules. Mr. Stratford stated it would make scheduling somewhat more difficult.
Mayor Boro noted the recommendation of the Library Board and staff was to close on
Monday.
Councilmember Heller noted it did not interfere with any weekly children’s programs, while
Friday would, and this was a deciding factor for her. She thanked staff for their work.
Mayor Boro stated he had read Mr. Stratford’s memo, noting there would be further
discussions in the future unfortunately, regarding further cuts in services. He indicated he
found the Volunteer Memo quite interesting, noting the value of volunteers appeared to be
approximately $120,000 per year, which was a significant contribution. Mayor Boro
suggested there would be continued talks to ascertain how this category of people could be
enhanced and he thanked staff for the information.
3) Bonuses/Management Compensation:
City Manager Rod Gould indicated he would like to link this item with Number 8., Lay-Off
Policy, and Number 9., Early Retirement Incentives Program.
Mr. Gould reported that as the Management Team and Management Group had been
considering what the City must go through, along with many other California cities, to
rationalize staffing and service levels to expected revenues and a depressed economy in a
situation with rapid state budgetary meltdown, there was a suggestion put forward by the
Management Team to forego bonuses altogether for managers for this coming fiscal year as
a gesture to the community and the rest of the staff that management was willing to go first
and suffer some take-away in approaching these difficult decisions.
Noting Council had some questions on this issue when raised in a Study Session, Mr. Gould
indicated that subsequent to discussion with others, he was revising his recommendation.
He explained that San Rafael, along with most cities, was facing a structural deficit problem;
it was not a one-year or temporary problem, rather an ongoing situation and therefore,
avoiding bonuses for one year did not accomplish much in the long term. He indicated that
the size of the organization would have to be shrunk and the method of conducting business
changed to correspond and be congruent with expected revenues for the foreseeable future.
Mr. Gould stated this would take more long-term and structural decisions. Should Council
desire, Management would be quite willing to relinquish their bonuses; however, as alluded
to by Mayor Boro, when the state acted it could take City revenues for one, two or three
years, even permanently. Indicating the City was facing a $2 million deficit in the second of
the two fiscal years and anticipating that the size of City staffing would have to be reduced,
with a corresponding reduction in the level of service provided to the community, Mr. Gould
stated staff was recommending two options, i.e., Numbers 8 and 9.
Mr. Gould reported that the Management Team had some thoughts concerning a Lay-Off
Policy because as City employees read the newspapers and listened to briefings, there was
a great deal of anxiety concerning what could happen. He indicated it would be good for the
City to set forth a policy outlining what could be expected should lay-offs indeed become
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necessary. Mr. Gould stated it would be necessary to balance the need to be as humane as
possible and give as much notice as possible to those who unfortunately, must be laid off,
with the recognition that to the extent this costs the City more money, it could necessitate
even more lay-offs; therefore, a balance needed to be found.
Mr. Gould invited Assistant City Manager Ken Nordhoff to summarize the recommendations
the Management Team would like to advance to the City Council as a policy, not to cause
alarm or preface an immediate action, rather outline what could be expected should the City
find itself in this situation in the next year or so.
Councilmember Heller inquired as to the difference between a lay-off and a furlough.
Explaining, Mr. Nordhoff stated that a furlough typically was a process, depending on
whether mandatory or voluntary, mandating a certain number of days off without pay, with
those affected retaining their jobs. A lay-off meant that a thirty-day notice was served
indicating that a position or positions were being eliminated at a date certain, presumably
permanently. While there would be opportunities for rehiring, should it be so stated, the
reality in these fiscal times denoted a permanent reduction of staff.
Mayor Boro noted this was a very serious matter and one which would not be adopted this
evening. He suggested a workshop be conducted on this specific topic, commenting that
with regard to termination pay, it could cost more to lay people off; hence, a balance had to
be struck. He requested that Mr. Nordhoff make his presentation in this light, suggesting that
some Council time be set aside in the future to discuss this item, together with the pros and
cons of furloughs versus lay-offs, impact on the workforce, impact on services, etc.
Mr. Nordhoff stated that a table on pages 30 and 31 of the handout outlined the actual layoff
requirements in the various MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding), which demonstrated a
fair amount of consistency regarding Notice of Termination, Re-hiring, etc.
Mr. Nordhoff reported that a meeting was held last week with Department Heads, and
emphasizing that it was not a formal proposal, referred Council to the bottom of page 29 and
four items staff felt Council might consider that go beyond what is required in the various
contracts:
a) In addition to the required 30 day formal written noticing period (some minor
exceptions exist in the contracts), the City would provide an additional 60 calendar
days, or two months’ worth, of base pay to be paid in one lump sum at the end of the
30 day termination period;
b) To consider some type of out-placement service. Human Resources Assistant
Director Daryl Chandler is conducting investigations as to a provider and the types of
services it would include, i.e., counseling, resume development, job search assistance,
etc. A more formal presentation would be generated for Council;
c) Allow the employee the discretion during the 30-day noticing period of having time off
to seek alternative employment, obtain counseling, etc;
d) With respect to health and dental benefits, the City is required under COBRA to extend
the ability for employees to continue enrollment; however, this typically is an employee
cost should they choose to leave the organization. The suggestion was for the City to
continue to pay premiums for health and dental insurance for a period of 90 days, i.e.,
the 30-day noticing period plus an additional 60 days.
Mr. Nordhoff indicated that some other items discussed were listed at the bottom of page 33
that staff had contemplated and Council could choose to consider; however, these four items
were those staff believed went beyond what was required to assist employees bridge the gap
between leaving the City and gaining other employment, should it become necessary.
Assuming heretofore that layoff indicated a temporary situation, Councilmember Heller
requested clarification. Mr. Nordhoff explained a layoff was considered permanent. He
stated the contracts contained language wherein the event the City was in a position to re-
hire, consideration would be given to those laid off first. Explaining the terms “termination”
and “layoff”, Mr. Nordhoff stated “termination” referred to those leaving employment with the
City, possibly for disciplinary or lack of performance reasons. Initiating a layoff was not
connected with performance or anything else related to the employee’s work, rather it was
exercising a prerogative where it was necessary to take action to reduce the size of the
organization. Councilmember Cohen confirmed that these terms are fairly standard in the
labor relations arena, i.e., a layoff refers to a reduction in force due to workload or external
factors, while termination has to do with the performance of an individual employee.
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Mr. Gould stated that with Mayor Boro’s direction, this item would be returned to Council for
further discussion as part of a Study Session to be scheduled in the coming months.
Mayor Boro noted that when the Golden Gate Bridge District had layoffs they had severance
packages that were based on length of service, and he indicated he would like to see the
options on this.
Regarding the Early Retirement Incentives Program Mr. Gould reported that Golden
Handshakes are a pretty prevalent practice in private industry to motivate large groups of
people to retire early to provide savings for a company. To some extent, these had been
used in the public sector. He indicated that under some new laws and regulations there are
more strategic retirement incentives that could be tailored for individual positions.
Explaining, he stated that with the elimination of precise positions, incentives could be
generated for individuals to retire early without being replaced. Mr. Gould stated that PARS
had put a program together containing a lot of options and Messrs. Nordhoff and Chandler
had provided material – pages 35 – 39 - which he proposed agendizing for a future Council
meeting for action. He explained it would just be a tool in the toolbox and would not be
immediately utilized; however, as needed, staff favored having the latitude to be in a position
to negotiate with people as the budget woes worsened.
Should there be a Study Session on the issue of layoff policy, Councilmember Cohen
suggested this discussion be in the same context. Mr. Gould indicated his hesitation was
that he did not believe it would be very productive for the Council to consider furloughs and
layoff policies until it is understood from each department what the next level of reductions
would entail. He stated staff would like to schedule individual Study Sessions with Council at
the beginning of Council Meetings in the next three months to evaluate each department’s
financing of its services and understand what 2.5%, 5.0% and 7.0% reductions look like to
complete the process, subsequently considering items across the board, i.e., furloughs,
layoff policies, early incentives. Mr. Gould stated that in this way, there would be context for
discussion of the more difficult issues. He indicated that this discussion would be deferred
for three months unless Council favored having it sooner.
Councilmember Cohen confirmed with Mr. Gould that staff favored having the discussion
regarding the early retirement incentive program sooner.
4) Marinwood Contract:
Mr. Gould reported that Fire Chief Robert Marcucci had generated a comprehensive report
on the Marinwood Cooperative Fire Service contract that had been in place for some years,
which provided some background and detailed analysis of what the additional response
times would be in North San Rafael should the contract be severed. Mr. Gould
recommended that a discussion be tabled on this item, unless Council would like to discuss it
further.
There was no comment on the recommendation to discuss this further.
5) Fire Cadet/Hire Back-up:
Mr. Gould reported that Fire Chief Robert Marcucci had also indicated at the recent Study
Session that staff was exploring means to employ Fire Cadets to backfill some slots in the
Fire Department should the three vacant firefighter positions not be filled, in hopes of saving
some money. He indicated that Chief Marcucci had provided Council with a memo which
addressed this; however, Mr. Gould stated he was not sure the idea was ready for “prime
time.”
He indicated that instead, staff was working on other ideas that made a little more sense and
Fire Chief Marcucci would elaborate should Council so wish. Mr. Gould added that given the
severity of the budget concerns, Council should direct staff not to hire three additional
firefighters to fill three vacant positions at this time, and maybe continue a hiring freeze in the
Fire Department for the next six or eight months, while the situation was monitored. Mr.
Gould indicated that should it be necessary to rearrange the way fire services are staffed, it
would be far better to do it with vacant positions than to have to consider layoffs in the Fire
Department. Having spoken with Ken Martin, President of the Fire Association, Mr. Gould
believed it was also a concern for the firefighters; therefore, further discussions would take
place when the Fire Department made a presentation to Council in Study Sessions.
Mayor Boro confirmed these would be covered with scheduling which could entail some level
of overtime. Concurring, Mr. Gould explained there could be some savings and further
analysis was necessary to quantify what that would be.
Recalling from previous Study Sessions, Councilmember Heller suggested this could
perhaps be a savings of approximately $100,000. Mr. Gould stated that Mr. Nordhoff
required additional time to go through more detailed analysis received from both the Fire
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Association and Fire Management on past use of overtime to fill positions for people injured
on duty, on sick leave or on vacation, to give a reasonable estimate and have a high level of
confidence that savings promised could be achieved. Mr. Gould indicated this point had not
yet been reached; therefore, pursuant to the Study Session tentatively scheduled in August
with the Fire Department, these matters would be addressed in greater detail.
6) Street Impact Fee (Garbage):
Mr. Gould stated the Street Impact Fee for garbage had been discussed at two previous
Study Sessions, explaining the idea was to capture some of the costs for the deterioration of
residential streets occasioned by heavily weighted garbage trucks using them several times
per week. He indicated that Mr. Nordhoff would brief Council on some of the methodology of
this additional expense, which staff believes legally, could be passed on to Marin Sanitary
Service without a special election. Mr. Gould stated this would free up franchise fees money
currently going to street paving that could go back into the General Fund.
Summarizing the draft report from the consultant, Mr. Nordhoff stated this attempts to provide
all the underlying engineering and other rationale associated with the impact of refuse trucks
on streets in residential neighborhoods only.
Focusing on page 28, Mr. Nordhoff reported that Public Works had helped generate some
data that supports the recommendations. Essentially, this was an evaluation of the various
types of vehicles that cross a residential street, identifying the number of streets and number
of trips. Mr. Nordhoff reported there are solid waste trucks, yard waste trucks and recycling
trucks, each of which is making trips into residential neighborhoods with frequencies of once
or twice per week.
Noting there was a whole category of other trucks and recalling discussions on a
Construction Impact Fee, Mr. Nordhoff reported having met with Public Works and indicated
staff was in the process of splitting out some of the construction trucks, should Council wish
to consider an Impact Fee for those types of uses.
Mr. Nordhoff stated that automobiles, while the lightest in weight, accounted for the bulk of
the vehicles.
Directing Council’s attention to the bottom of page 28, Mr. Nordhoff stated there was an
approximate 12% impact to residential streets by garbage trucks, meaning a 20-year life of a
residential street was shortened by approximately 12% because of the trips for solid waste,
yard waste and recycling trucks, particularly when loaded with weight. Should the City
attempt to recover that cost through Marin Sanitary Service (this includes all the operations in
the incorporated San Rafael Area), that 12% impact fee based on current maintenance costs
of approximately $1.5 million (street paving, pothole patching, etc.), would generate
approximately $190,000 per year, and as mentioned by City Manager Gould, Mr. Nordhoff
stated this would alleviate what franchise fees currently have to contribute. He explained it
would equate to approximately $1.60 per month per residential garbage bill and page 28
illustrated what this might look like relative to current rates, i.e., $17.85 flat level rate or
$20.30 hill rate.
Mr. Nordhoff stated the City would be imposing this collective fee of $190,000, or whatever
the final number, on the refuse hauler and it would be their obligation to decide how to
recover that cost; however, ultimately, it would come from the consumer.
Mr. Nordhoff stated this was in draft format and he was working with Andy Preston and
Public Works staff to fine-tune the figures and complete the report, which would then be
brought to Council for consideration. He indicated it would not be part of the Cost Study or
Master Fee Schedule, rather would be a separate action item for Council consideration.
Mayor Boro indicated he learned the County would introduce a Construction Impact Fee and
it appeared to him that San Rafael should do this concurrently, with not just the garbage
company. Regarding North of the Hill, which is regulated by another agency, Mayor Boro
confirmed that the fee would be passed on to the Sanitary District and they would be
responsible for its collection through their rate structure.
With Mayor Boro’s direction to bring both the Garbage Impact Fee and Residential
Construction Impact Fee simultaneously, Mr. Gould stated it would be staff’s priority to
complete the studies and bring them forward for consideration and action this summer. He
indicated staff believed these would generate substantial funds, which would help in the
General Fund to deal with the impacts from the State, and in the second budget year.
Mr. Gould indicated he retained the notion of franchising garbage service north of the hill and
with Council’s permission he would like to bring it back for consideration at the end of the
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year; however, the focus for now would be on the Impact Fees for both residential
construction and garbage service.
On the timing issue, Councilmember Cohen stated it made sense to do it in collaboration with
the County or neighboring communities to maintain some consistency. Mayor Boro indicated
he was not concerned about the other agencies, rather the City as an agency introducing the
fee just on the garbage company and not on the others, as he believed they both caused
wear and tear on the streets. He believed the City should be consistent and introduce both
fees concurrently, independent of other agencies. Councilmember Cohen indicated he had
misunderstood Mayor Boro’s previous comment.
Regarding the Garbage Fee, Councilmember Heller inquired whether other cities had
implemented this fee and whether there were any legal issues related to it. Responding, Mr.
Gould stated the Garbage Impact Fee was a relatively new idea; however, the Construction
Impact Fee referenced by Mayor Boro was much more common with four agencies in Marin
already requiring it. He explained San Rafael wished to ensure the need and methodology
were well documented, so that the City was fully within the law in requiring those creating
the impact to pay for that impact. He reported that the thoroughness of the study Council
would see shortly would assure them on that point. Councilmember Heller commented that
she would like to have seen the Construction Impact Fee in place when Sun Valley School
was being rebuilt. Mr. Gould indicated that whether to assess this fee against schools would
be a policy consideration.
In terms of the North San Rafael Franchise Fee, Councilmember Miller stated he would like
to see this brought back at the time of the next impact from the State, rather than deferring it
to the end of the year. He concurred with City Manager Gould that the emphasis for the time
being should be on the two Impact Fees under discussion.
10) Part-Time Salary Schedule:
Mr. Gould reported that the part-time salary increases had been included in the budget. He
indicated it was a Council decision, was consistent with past practice and staff did not see
any reason to treat part-time different from full-time. Mr. Nordhoff indicated staff would
prepare a resolution for adoption.
11) Engine Company Inspections:
Mr. Gould invited Fire Chief Marcucci to discuss Engine Company Inspections and
information on this was provided on pages 40 and 41. He noted the Chamber of Commerce
had submitted a letter which was distributed to Council, concerning this new fee.
Fire Chief Robert Marcucci stated that unfortunately, the Fire Association, who
recommended this, had left the Council Chamber. He indicated that in discussions
concerning revenue options with the City Manager, they suggested the City begin charging
for commercial inspections. Chief Marcucci reported that inspections had been carried out
for approximately twenty-five years without charge; however, it was now time to take serious
consideration of this proposal.
He reported having met with Assistant City Manager Ken Nordhoff today to ensure no
duplication of inspections.
Fire Chief Marcucci stated it was important to understand that the viability of a community is
predicated on its fire loss experience. He explained that when there are fires in commercial
buildings, historically, those buildings do not go back into service, customers usually find
other vendors from whom to purchase their products, and many times those are not within
the City, resulting in a loss of sales tax. Chief Marcucci stated that it is important for the Fire
Department to carry out inspections in commercial buildings to create a fire safe environment
and the entity can maintain its viability as an economic force in the City.
th
Reporting that a meeting was scheduled for July 9 with the Chamber of Commerce, Fire
Chief Marcucci anticipated hearing at that meeting that the small businessperson would not
be able to afford the fees, and he welcomed hearing this. He hoped there would be an
opportunity to discuss the ramifications with the Chamber; however, also have the Chamber
understand the ramifications on City government and the services the City is trying to
provide. Subsequent to the discussions Chief Marcucci believed there would be a better
understanding of the reason for carrying out these inspections, the need to maintain a fire
force and its associated difficulty in the existing environment.
Fire Chief Marcucci reported that when the program was first started, frequently there were
fires in commercial buildings, and he believed there had not been a fire in a commercial
building of any major proportion probably in the last ten years. Where there had been fires, it
was not due to a failure of the Company Inspection Program, rather a failure of a piece of
equipment. He instanced Willow Street where the hood duct system did not function, not
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because of the Fire Department, rather because of how it was installed. Chief Marcucci
believed therefore, that the Company Inspections had been providing a fire safe environment
for the community and he looked forward to the discussions with the San Rafael Chamber of
Commerce.
Indicating this was not cast in concrete, rather the beginning of the discussion, Mayor Boro
confirmed receipt of the letter from the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and invited
comment from the Chamber representative.
Tom Hinman stated he looked forward to speaking with Fire Chief Marcucci, acknowledging
and thanking him for his contributions to keeping San Rafael a fire safe community.
There being no further business, the Special City Council meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
______________________________
JEANNE M. LEONCINI, City Clerk
APPROVED THIS ______ DAY OF __________, 2003
___________________________________
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
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